IPL 2024 | "He was missing piece in our winning combination": Amre praises Kuldeep after 3 wickets

Pravin Amre and Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav, undoubtedly, is the lynchpin of the Delhi Capitals bowling attack. The team suffered in the three matches he missed due to a groin injury. On his return, he produced a magical spell (3-20) against Lucknow Super Giants here on Friday that helped his team register a much-needed win, their second in six
matches. IPL 2024 | "He was missing piece in our winning combination": Amre praises Kuldeep after 3 wickets

The DC management is hopeful that the left-arm unorthodox bowler will produce a few more magical spells in upcoming games so that the team can remain in the fray for a berth in the playoffs.

DC assistant coach Pravin Amre told the media that Kuldeep, who plays domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, was eager to play the match against LSG. "For any player, performing on his home ground is great. There's a lot of emotions connected with it. He hadn't played the last three matches and he was eagerly looking out and asking, ‘When are we heading to Lucknow,' " Amre said.

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The assistant coach said that it [Kuldeep's injury] was a Grade 1 groin injury that kept him out of action and they kept him on the bench as they didn't want to aggravate his injury. "He is a very important player, so we did not want to rush him back. Yes, he was the missing piece in our winning combination, thus his return augurs well for us," said Amre.

Amre praised Kuldeep's "dream ball" that castled Nicholas Pooran first ball. "We all know Pooran is a match-winning batter. That wicket helped us restrict LSG to 167. Had Pooran batted a bit longer, things could have been different. It [Pooran's dismissal] ensured LSG didn't run away to a 190-plus total. Thus, we were able to control the game," said Amre.

After receiving the Player of the Match award, Kuldeep said, "It was difficult to see the team struggle in the middle overs when I was sitting on the bench injured. Credit goes to [head physio] Patrick [Farhart] for maintaining me and making me fit again. Yes, all those [wickets I took] were good wickets. When you get three in the middle overs and control the run rate as well as [restrict] the chasing target, it feels good."

On the delivery that got Pooran first ball, Kuldeep said, "I have played a lot against Pooran. The execution was right and it was a good ball. I was clear with my plan. Length matters a lot as a spinner. Irrespective of the format, a good length is a good length," a beaming Kuldeep said.